Vegetable Pulao

Overview
Vegetable Pulao is a delicious blend of vegetables and rice.  I have used six kinds of vegetables in this dish. You can use any vegetables of your choice. This is a healthy dish since it has a whole serving of vegetables in it. Vegetable Pulao is usually served with any Indian picked and yogurt raita.

Vegetable Pulao

Vegetables for Pulao - Carrots, Potatoes, Green Peas, Cauliflower, 
Green Beans, and Cabbage

Ingredients
Long grain rice or Basmati rice 2 cups
Carrots  - thin sliced - 3/4 cup
Green beans thin sliced - 3/4 cup
Cabbage thin sliced - 1 cup
Cauliflower florets cut into small pieces - 3/4 cup
Green peas - 3/4 cup
Large potato peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
Onion - 2 medium size thin sliced
Garlic - 6 cloves finely crushed
Ginger  2 inch piece finely crushed
Freshly ground black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon stick - two one inch pieces
Cloves whole - 6 - 8
Cardamom whole - 4
Fennel seeds - 2 teaspoon
Black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 6 tablespoons
Cilantro - 1/4 cup finely chopped
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Clean the rice in plenty of water 3 - 4 times and soak in water and keep aside for about 20 minutes.
2. Bring about  a gallon of water to boil. Add half of all the whole spices to the water with salt.
3. When the water begins  to boil add the soaked rice to it and bring it to boil. Simmer heat and cook rice till done and drain water. Make sure rice is not overcooked. When the rice has drained well, spread out rice in a big tray so that it does not get sticky. Remove all whole spices.
4.  In a heavy bottom pan heat oil. When the oil gets hot add the remaining whole spices to it saute few minutes and then add the thin sliced onions.
5. Fry the onions few minutes till it is soft add the crushed garlic and ginger to this and saute till the onions are light brown. Add turmeric and pepper powder to this and saute few for minutes and then add all the sliced vegetables to this. Mix well cover pan with lid and cook till all vegetables are cooked well.
6. Uncover lid and saute few more minutes till all liquid has evaporated. Add the rice to this and mix well. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with any pickle and raita.